Super Koopalings Episode 4: Runaway Reptile
by StarlitDuck
Summary: The crown prince Bowser Jr runs away from the castle, and the Koopalings are tasked with finding him. But unexpected problems arise during the search.
1. the Ice Cream Issue

Chapter 1 The Ice Cream Issue

Bowser Koopa Jr. The heir to the throne of the Koopa Kingdom and the only biological son of King Bowser Koopa Senior. Bowser Jr, or simply Junior as the Koopalings like to call him, has a reputation for being quite the character. This is because his father loves him. One could even say that he worships the ground he walks on. That, unfortunately, is not a good thing.

Junior has a snobby and spoiled attitude that is hard for many to overlook. Even Bowser himself will admit that his son is spoiled like a carton of unrefrigerated milk. This is one of the reasons why the Koopalings tend to avoid him as best that they can. The other reason is the fact that Junior does not see them as equals. If he were to interact with them at all, he would treat them as nothing more than servants.

This was showcased on the one fateful day that is unlikely to fall out of the Koopalings' memories anytime soon.

The day got off to a pretty normal start. Iggy and Lemmy were in Iggy's lab, and Iggy was showing something to his orange shelled brother. He was pouring different types of liquids, such as honey and laundry detergent, into a test tube. The honey sank to the bottom while the water, dish detergent, and other liquids rested on top of it. Lemmy stared at the tube with wide eyes as Iggy explained what was going on.

"It is due to the greater density of the honey," he said. "It is very rudimentary science, but it still makes for an intriguing display."

"Cool!" said Lemmy. He started to giggle. "You know Iggy, I'd say that is really 'tubular.'" Lemmy's giggling accentuated. "Get it?"

Iggy considered this. Tubular? The word sounded slightly familiar, but it certainly wasn't present in his vocabulary.

"Not really," Iggy said after some brief consideration.

"Yeah me neither; I was hoping you would," said Lemmy with a frown. It was then that the door to the lab burst open. Iggy and Lemmy looked up the stairs and saw prince Bowser Jr at the top, looking rather cross.

"Good morning, Jr!" said Lemmy with a warm smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm hungry," Jr said. "I want you guys to get me some ice cream."

Lemmy and Iggy exchanged a look.

"Oh," said Iggy. "I don't...I don't believe we have any."

Junior's scowl narrowed.

"Well then why don't you go out to the store and get me some?" he asked with an irritated tone.

Iggy gulped. Junior was infamous for throwing temper tantrums when he didn't get his way. Iggy knew that in order to avoid that, he would have to explain himself as best he could.

"Well, I was just taking a break from my research so I could show Lemmy something," he explained in as easy a tone he could muster.

"It's actually really neat, Junior!" said Lemmy. "When you pour honey and dish detergent into a test tube, the honey sinks to the bottom and the water floats on top!"

"I don't care about the stupid honey, you midget!" Junior said.

The smile fell from Lemmy's face. Junior only called him midget when he was really cranky.

"All I care about is the ice cream!" Junior stormed. "Now, are you going to get it for me or not?"

"I'm sorry Junior," said Iggy. "But Lemmy and I are preoccupied at the moment."

The angry scowl on Junior's face became dark and foreboding. It was as if a thunder cloud was brewing above his head. Then, Junior took the test tube full of liquid in his hands and smashed it to the floor. Iggy and Lemmy stared at the damp, gooey mess of liquid and shards as Junior ran from the lab.

Junior walked down one of the hallways, looking for the other Koopalings. If Iggy and Lemmy wouldn't oblige to his wishes, surely someone ought to, right? Suddenly, he heard shouts of joy coming from Larry's room. He looked in and saw that Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Roy were sitting in front of Larry's TV, playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. As Junior entered the room, Larry gave a whoop of delight.

"First place! Again!" he said. Roy scowled.

"It's only because we're playing on Electrodrome," he said. "You're obsessed with that course."

Larry only chuckled.

"Say what you want," he said. "The results screen speaks for itself."

Roy playful lunged at his competitive younger brother and gave him a noogie. Wendy laughed while Morton just sat there stoically.

"Why don't we switch to battle mode?" Wendy asked. "We've been racing for a while now."

Larry smiled.

"Good idea," he said. "That way I can kick your guys' butts in not just one mode but two!"

Junior, who hated being ignored, cleared his throat. The Koopalings turned toward him. Larry and Roy did their best to hold back groans while Wendy gave Junior a smile.

"What's going on, crown prince?" she asked.

Normally, Junior would've been ecstatic that one of the Koopalings had called him "crown prince" in a respectful way. Right now, though, he was feeling agitated.

"I've been wanting some ice cream for the past...gazillion hours!" he said. "I want you guys to get me some right now!"

"Oh, sorry bud," said Larry. "But we're in the middle of a game."

"Can't your stupid game wait!" Junior said, his rage boiling over. Roy felt appalled.

"Um, excuse me," he said. "But are you calling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe stupid?"

"Yeah," said Junior. "It's as stupid as you are, Fatty!"

Now Roy was really mad. He stormed over to Junior. Before he could get to him though, Morton stood up and held his hand in front of his brother.

"Alright, alright," Morton said. He then turned to Junior. "Junior, why don't you go ask someone else?"

"Yeah, I think that I will," Junior replied. "I wouldn't want lazy pigs like you guys to serve me, anyway!"

The Koopalings gawked at their adopted brother as he stormed out of the room. Junior marched down the hallway, his anger growing with each passing moment. Why wouldn't the Koopalings listen to him?

Oh well. At least there was still one Koopaling who Junior hadn't asked yet.

…

Ludwig was in his and Lemmy's room, cleaning. As much as he loved his brother, Ludwig thought that Lemmy was a complete slob. This was a stark contrast to how Ludwig usually liked to keep his room; neat and orderly. So, he was folding up a blanket and cleaning up the trash telekinetically. All the while, he was listening to his TV, which was tuned in to a game show.

"Alright, now this question is worth ten million points, so if you get this, you win the game," said the host. "Who is Mario's brother?"

"Luigi," Ludwig said instantly.

The contestant hesitated.

"Uh...um."

"Remember, you only have a minute to come up with an answer," said the host.

Ludwig sat down on his bed.

"You..._cannot _be serious," he said.

"Uhhh….wait, wasn't it that goomba?" the contestant asked himself.

"Oh, come on!" Ludwig yelled at the screen. "You live in the Mushroom Kingdom; this is like general knowledge!"

"You've got ten seconds; you'd better think fast!" the host said.

Ludwig leaned forward on his bed. The camera zoomed in on the contestant's face. Ludwig could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Princess Peach?" he asked. The buzzer went off in the background.

"Oh, sorry, better luck next time," said the host.

Ludwig turned off the TV. He sat there, shaking his head and chuckling.

"What an idiot," he said with a grin.

Suddenly, Ludwig heard a knock on the door. He got up and opened it, only to be run over by Junior's screams.

"LUDWIG!" Junior bellowed. "I WANT YOU TO GET ME ICE CREAM, AND I WANT YOU TO DO IT _NOW!"_

Ludwig stared at the seven year old prince in his doorway.

"Oh hey Junior, nice to see you too," he said sarcastically.

Junior scoffed and entered Ludwig's room, much to the latter's chagrin.

"Oh, _sure _you can come into my room," Ludwig said. "Just make sure you stay off of my…"

Ludwig turned around and saw that Junior had plopped himself down on Ludwig's bed.

"...bed."

"Ludwig, I am so hungry right now," Junior whined. "I want ice cream. Will you get it for me? None of those other rotten koopas that you have the insanity to call siblings said they would."

Bright blue flames started to dance around Ludwig's hands. Ludwig was unique in that his pyrokinetic and electricity manipulating powers always made themselves known whenever he was angry. Ludwig let out a small breath.

"Junior," he said as calmly as he could, "I'm kind of busy at the moment, in case you haven't noticed." Suddenly, Ludwig's eyes grew wide. "Hey, leave those alone!"

Junior had a bunch of papers in his hands. They were some of Ludwig's songs.

"What do we have here?" Junior asked. "'Symphony Number 33?' I'd be ashamed to be assigning numbers after ten."

"Put. Those. Down. Right. Now." Ludwig growled as electricity started to crackle around him.

Junior gave his blue haired brother a look.

"Make me, Poofy," he said.

Ludwig lunged for the songs and grabbed a hold of them. He tried to yank them out of Junior's hands, but Junior wouldn't have any of that. He tugged back on the papers, and they tore. A look of horror came across Ludwig's face.

"You ruined them!" he shouted, his voice breaking.

"I don't give a mouser's tail about your stupid songs!" Junior said. "Because there is one thing that I want you to understand. I am the prince here! I am the heir to the throne of the Koopa Kingdom! So you had better do what I say, or you are going to be mighty sorry. Do you hear me, Ludwig Vanessa?"

Ludwig, who absolutely hated it when people used his real middle name, gave Junior a scowl. Then, he picked up the young koopa prince and threw him out the door. Ludwig would admit this this was unlike him, but with people like Junior sometimes force was the only way to get the message across. Once Ludwig slammed the door, Junior started to pout.

"Ohh, will no one get me ice cream?" he asked. That was when he sprawled himself out on the floor and started to have a massive temper tantrum. He kicked and screamed and created quite a ruckus. Everyone in the castle was able to hear him, and he was not producing a pleasing sound. Bowser in particular was not happy with this. So, he stormed into the hallway where his son was, anger prevalent on his face.

"JUNIOR!" he yelled. "THRONE ROOM! NOW!"

Junior swore under his breath, got up, and followed his father to his throne room. The Koopalings, who had heard Bowser's thunderous shout, all left their rooms to see what was going to happen. Bowser only called them into the throne room when they were in trouble, and Junior was never called into the throne room. This was something that the Koopalings just had to see.


	2. A Harsh Statement

**Author's Note: Woah, one chapter and I already have five reviews! I've got to say, I'm impressed. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have reviewed, and I just want to state for the record that I don't mind negative reviews in the slightest. If anything, they are motivation for me to make the story better. **

**There are some things that I want to address. First of all, in response to Insight's review, I am sorry that you found the first chapter disappointing and predictable. Hopefully I can do a better job with the next chapters. In response to Triple777's review, I apologize if this came off as a Junior hate letter. I will admit, Junior is not my favorite character. I don't want this whole story to be dedicated to bashing him, though. And no, I don't plan on having Chapter 2 be the last chapter. I want to at least finish the story and see what you guys think of it. Also, to make sure that it is of as high quality as possible, I am going to have someone beta read it.**

**Anyway, onto the story.**

Chapter 2 A Harsh Statement

The Koopalings watched curiously and quietly from the doorway as Junior stood in the throne room with his father. Bowser was pacing back and forth and had his hands behind his back, as if he was trying to come up with an appropriate response. Finally, Bowser stopped pacing, rubbed his temples, and let out a weary sigh.

"Listen Junior," he said with a calm inflection. "I consider myself a very patient koopa. But over the past few days, you have been pushing me past my limit. I know that I have been very nice to you regarding your behavior, but these tantrums have got to stop."

Junior hung his head. He didn't look ashamed though. He looked angry. His left eye was twitching and he had his hands curled into fists.

"It wasn't my fault," he said.

"Oh really?" Bowser asked with the same gentle tone as before. "Then whose fault was it?"

Suddenly, Roy let out a sneeze. Bowser turned and noticed for the first time that his adopted children had been eavesdropping.

"Guys!" Bowser said in a shocked tone. "Would you mind leaving? I'm having a conversation with Junior."

The Koopalings hearts sank, but they nodded regardless. Just before they were about to leave though, Iggy stepped into the throne room and cleared his throat.

"King Bowser," he said. Iggy only addressed Bowser by his title when he was trying to negotiate something. "We feel that it is necessary to present our account of the events that preceded this lecture. The likelihood of Junior recounting the story in an unbiased manner is very slim, considering his current emotional state."

Bowser considered this and nodded his head.

"Very well," he said. The rest of the Koopalings stepped forward.

"I believe that the relevance of my perspective is essential to obtaining a full understanding of this story," said Iggy. "You see, I was in my lab with Lemmy when Junior entered and asked for ice cream. Interestingly, ice cream is known as helado in Spanish and glace in French. Considering that both our romance languages, it is amazing that…"

"Iggy, you're going off topic," said Bowser as he held up his hand. He turned to Lemmy. "Okay, so Junior came into the lab. Did anything else happen?"

"Yes," said Lemmy. "He smashed a test tube."

Bowser nodded his head.

"I see, I see," he said. Then he turned to Wendy. "Wendy, what did Junior do to you?"

"He came into the room while we were playing a game," she explained as she gestured to Roy, Morton, and Larry. "He asked for ice cream and called us lazy pigs."

Bowser nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Ludwig?"

"Well, I was in the middle of cleaning my room…"

"Wait," said Lemmy as he stepped toward the blue-haired composer. "You didn't go over and clean my side, did you?"

Ludwig glanced at his brother and laughed.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "You're so messy you make a gas station bathroom look like a five-star restaurant. Of course I cleaned your side!"

Lemmy couldn't really argue with that. He backed up and let Ludwig continue.

"As you've probably guessed, and I don't see how you couldn't considering that you are probably intelligent enough to detect patterns, Junior came in asking for ice cream," Ludwig said. "What ultimately happened is that my songs were torn to shreds."

"Well, technically, it wasn't the songs themselves that were ripped; it was the papers that they were written on," said Iggy. "You can't literally rip a song to shreds; it isn't a tangible object."

"Oh, whatever!" said Ludwig as he rolled his eyes. Bowser chuckled.

"Don't worry guys, I get the picture," he said. He turned back to Junior. "Is what they are saying accurate, Junior?"

Junior stuttered.

"Well...well...yeah, I guess," he said. "But...I only did all those things because they wouldn't get me the ice cream like I asked!"

Bowser looked at Junior with empathy in his eyes.

"Junior," he said. "Is this really about the ice cream, or is it about something else?"

There was a moment of silence. Junior stared at the Koopa King. It looked like his eyes were starting to water.

"No," he said. "This isn't about anything else!"

"See, I don't believe that," said Bowser. "I think the reason you're upset is because I told you about your birth story."

Bowser could not have hit closer to home. The tears started to flow.

"No Dad, this isn't about the stupid birth story," he said. "This is about ice cream, and how the Koopalings are too lazy to get it for me."

Now Bowser looked angry.

"Go to your room," he said. "I need some time to think about your punishment. And next time you address your siblings, I want you to do it respectfully."

Junior didn't move. He looked down at the floor again.

"They are not my siblings," he said quietly.

"What was that?" Bowser asked.

Junior looked up. His eyes were so full of anger that it was hard to look at them.

"I said that they are not my siblings!" he said. "They are just some commoners who were lucky enough to wind up in the castle before they hatched!"

Bowser felt unease creep up his spine. He did not like where this was going.

"Junior," he said coaxingly.

"No!" said Junior. "If anything, they are the ones who should be respectful to me! They don't even know who their real parents are! I wouldn't be surprised if they had them out of wedlock!"

"Do you even know what that means?" asked Iggy.

Junior didn't listen. He could feel what he was going to say rising like bile up to his throat.

"You know what! I bet that their parents gave them up because they didn't want to deal with them! And you know what?! I don't blame them! I personally wish that they had never been born!

Junior stopped talking and looked to see what effect his words had. The Koopalings and Bowser all stared at him with their mouths hanging open. Then, Lemmy and Wendy's eyes started to water. Wendy ran from the room while Lemmy turned away from Junior. Electricity started to crackle in the air, and Iggy stood there shaking his head.

"Junior," Larry said.

Junior only glared at everyone. Then, knowing that his words had the desired effect, he ran up to his room.


	3. Birth Story

Chapter 3 Birth Story

All of the Koopalings sat in the common room. All of them, that is, except for Wendy and Lemmy. Those two were in their rooms, crying. Morton, Ludwig, Iggy, Larry and Roy had decided collectively that it would be best to leave them be.

Iggy paced back and forth, ruminating over what had just gone down in the throne room. He had not expected Junior to say that. Sure, he didn't see the Koopalings as equals, but that didn't mean that he hated them. In fact, his behavior sometimes implied that he looked up to them on some level, that he unintentionally emulated them. Roy's tough guy attitude, Lemmy's happy go lucky demeanor, and Ludwig's sarcastic streak all shined through Junior's character at different points.

Speaking of Ludwig and Roy, they had interesting reactions to Junior's statement. Roy was muttering under his breath and punching a pillow. Ludwig was humming the tune to one of his symphonies, the one that he called "The Buoy Base Suite." One could tell that he was doing his best to keep his temper under control so that his powers didn't flare up, and keeping himself distracted by more or less meditating on his song.

As for Morton and Larry, Morton sat next to Ludwig on the couch. He had a box of powdered donuts in his hands and was cramming them into his mouth. Morton wasn't one who expressed his anger by yelling and being over the top; instead, he often resorted to stress eating. And Larry, unlike the other three, didn't appear to be angry at all. Instead, he seemed dumbfounded.

"I can't believe Junior would say that," he said with a far away look in his eyes.

Iggy stopped pacing and sighed.

"In my estimation, I was flabbergasted," he commented. "Sure, Junior can be brash, but even for him that was an objectionable negation."

"Oh, will you stop with the big talk for once in your freaking life?" Roy asked as he looked up from his pillow. "Speak like a normal person; I can't understand a word you're saying!"

Iggy glared at Roy then sighed.

"To put it in simpler terms," he said, "I did not expect Junior to be mean like that."

Roy scoffed.

"Wow, Iggy," he said. "For someone who claims to be a genius, you really are stupid. How can you not expect stuff like that from Junior?"

"Well, if one were to perceive his behavioral tendencies…"

"BIG WORDS!" Roy yelled angrily.

"I mean, if you were to look at his behavior, you can see that it is a lot like ours at points. True, we aren't actually related by blood, but that doesn't mean we aren't role models for him." Iggy turned to Morton. "What are your thoughts on this?"

Morton didn't respond. He just looked into his empty donut box.

"I need something salty," he said. With that, he got up and left the room.

Iggy held back a sigh. He should've guessed that Morton wouldn't want to get involved. He only interjected himself into arguments, disputes, and intense situations when he wanted them to stop. The fact that he didn't try to stop the conversation already was probably a sign that he recognized that it was necessary to have.

"Anyway," said Iggy. "I don't believe that we should develop too large of a grudge against Junior. After all, we've got to remember that he is only a child."

At the sound of this, Ludwig's humming transitioned into growling. His hands lit up with blue fire.

"What issue is concerning you, Ludwig?" asked Iggy.

Ludwig scoffed and turned toward his brother.

"Only a child?" he asked. "I apologize _Ignatius_, but I'm afraid that you are severely underestimating him. Anyone who is smart enough to operate an entire fleet is smart enough to realize the malice in his words."

"I can spot your logic," said Iggy. "But at the same time, I believe we should cut Junior a break…"

"He just said that he wished we were never born!" stormed Ludwig as the flames climbed their way up his arms. "And you want to cut him a break? Iggy, were you even in the room when Junior said that to us?"

Iggy was about to respond when the lightbulb overhead exploded. The Koopalings put their hands to their heads to avoid getting hit by the shattered glass. Iggy glared at the special in front of him.

"Ludwig," he said. "You promised that would not happen anymore."

Ludwig sighed as the flames that were wrapped around his arms dissipated.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just need some time to myself."

With that, Ludwig headed for the door. He opened it to find Bowser standing in the entrance.

"Oh, Ludwig," Bowser said to his eldest. "Are you alright?"

"Just peachy," Ludwig said sarcastically. "Now, will you excuse me?"

Ludwig was just about to leave the room when Bowser put his hand on his shoulder.

"Actually, I want to talk to you guys," he said. "Do you mind getting the rest of your siblings?"

Ludwig looked at Bowser in surprise. Then, he nodded his head and exited the room. He returned five minutes later with Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy in tow. Wendy's eyes were red and her mascara was bleeding, Lemmy looked alright but he was sniffling like he had the common cold.

"Look," said Bowser once all the Koopalings were seated, "I'm sorry that you guys had to hear that. If I had known that Junior was going to lash out at you in that way, then I wouldn't have let you come into the throne room." Bowser sighed. "I just can't believe that he would say stuff like that to you guys."

"I know," said Larry.

"I in particular was astounded," said Iggy. "Although, I will admit that it is certainly uncharacteristic of Junior to say something that...detestable."

Bowser chuckled a little.

"Yes, it is," he said. Then he frowned. "I suspect he has just been acting out over the past few days. After all, I did tell him his birth story on Sunday."

Suddenly, it all made sense to the Koopalings. From Junior's over the top and frequent tantrums to his overall rotten behavior; it could all be traced back to the one moment when Junior heard the truth about how he came into the world.

"I can't imagine how tough it must be," said Morton. "To find out that the mother you've been needing and whose attention you've been craving your whole life...doesn't exist."

Bowser nodded. The story of how Bowser Jr. came into the world was certainly an odd one. The Koopalings knew it, and they felt sorry for Junior, as well as the entire line of Koopa Kings all the way back to King Cosmo the Third.

Long ago, there was a koopa king named Prince Cosmo the Third. He was told that he had to choose a wife so that he could produce an heir; however, none of the suitors brought before him met his satisfaction. The problem was that he still needed an heir, and he could not adopt a child because only a biological could inherit the throne. So, his magikoopa advisor suggested a solution. There was a very old and ancient spell that would allow the magikoopas to create a clone of him. That clone would be born as a baby and be raised up as the next Koopa King.

Since then, cloning of the Koopa King became a tradition. It happened to Cosmo the Second's son, his grandson, and every generation all the way down to Prince Bowser Jr.

"Look at it this way," said Bowser. "You guys don't know who your mother is, but…"

"...At least we have one," said Ludwig, finishing his thought.

"No wonder Junior has been so cranky toward us," said Lemmy. "He must have trouble looking at us with a thought like that to chew on."

Bowser gave a weak smile.

"Exactly," he said. "It certainly was a hard thought for me to chew on when my father told me." Bowser sighed. "And that is why I will stop at nothing to get Princess Peach's attention. I don't want Junior to feel the same pain I felt growing up."

The Koopalings nodded silently.

"However," Bowser continued, "I am not excusing his behavior or saying that it is okay. I don't feel that what Junior said was appropriate on any level. Because even though you guys don't share any of my genes, you are still my kids. You will always be my kids."

The Koopalings smiled. Lemmy went up and gave Bowser a hug. After a few seconds Wendy did the same thing, along with Larry, Ludwig, Morton, and Iggy. Even Roy joined in after a little bit.

"So, what is Junior's punishment?" Roy asked after the hugging had ceased.

"That is not your guys' concern," Bowser said. "All that you need to know is that there will be a punishment." With that Bowser got up and left the room. The Koopalings exchanged looks.

"I believe it is time for us to retire to our bed chambers," Iggy said. "Or, to put it in simpler terms for Roy's sake, I think it is time for us to go to bed."

The Koopalings nodded. Even though it was still light outside, all seven of them were exhausted. So, they all got up, went to their respective rooms, and fell asleep.

….

The next morning was a beautiful morning. The sky was clear of sulfurous gases, and something about the normally barren landscape seemed more...alive. While the Koopalings were still peeved at Junior for saying what he did, they did feel much better. Bowser entered the dining hall with a bright smile.

"Morning everyone," he said.

The Koopalings said good morning in unison.

"Did you guys have a good sleep?" Bowser asked.

"Yep," said Lemmy cheerfully. "I had a dream that I was rolling my ball down a tightrope at a circus."

"Did you fall?" asked Larry.

"Yeah, I did," said Lemmy. "But just before I hit the ground, I sprouted wings and flew through the roof! I flew everywhere; even into space!"

Bowser chuckled.

"Well, that definitely sounds interesting," he said. He then looked around the table. "Will one of you mind going up to get Junior?"

The Koopalings felt discomfort take hold of them. Then, Morton stood up.

"I'll do it," he said impassively. He exited the room, and his siblings exchanged looks.

"I hope Junior is in a better mood today," said Wendy.

"That is my desire as well," said Iggy. "Although, I do not foresee that being the case, considering he has a punishment hanging over his head."

Suddenly, Morton came back into the dining hall. He looked terrified, which was unusual for him.

"Guys," he said, "Junior is not in his room."


	4. Kamella

Chapter 4 Kamella

Junior trekked across the barren, black landscape, tears streaming down his face. He had been listening in on the conversation that Bowser and the Koopalings had the night before. The emotions that he had regarding his birth story were ones that he wanted to desperately get rid of. All his life, he had been wishing for the presence of a mother. To hear that he didn't have one, never had one, and never will have one caused him great amounts of distress.

And Bowser had been right. The Koopalings had no idea who their mother was. For all they knew, she could be the worst person in the entire world. After all, she had given them up before they were even born. But no matter how bad of a person she could possibly be, there was the guarantee that she did exist. Or at least had existed.

With this thought in mind, Junior picked up the pace. He didn't want to go back home. His dad would normally comfort him during times like this, but his dad was mad at him right now. He hadn't given Junior his punishment yet, but the fact that he promised the Koopalings that there would be a punishment filled Junior with a sense of dread. He had never been punished before.

Junior walked for a good four hours. He wanted to go for longer, but he was feeling extremely hungry. And thirsty. He realized that he probably should have packed a lunch before he headed out. He walked for about ten more minutes before the hunger and thirst became overpowering. He decided that if he couldn't eat, the least he could do for himself was lie down and rest. With that, he got down on his belly and just went to sleep.

…

Junior woke up in what felt like a bed made of straw. He looked around and saw that he was in some kind of hut. There was a cauldron in the center of the room, and shelves were situated all over the walls. Junior squinted at the jars on the shelves, and he saw that most of them contained eyeballs. Junior instantly felt like throwing up.

"Where the World Eight am I?" he asked out loud.

"Language, young man," said a smooth female voice.

Junior saw a magikoopa coming out of the next room. She wore a purple robe and had green lips. She smiled down at Junior. Junior only scoffed.

"I'm the Koopa Prince," he said. "I can do whatever I want."

The magikoopa chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose that is true," she said. She extended her hand toward Junior. "I'm Kamella, your highness."

Junior stared at her hand for a minute before he decided that he had better shake it.

"So," Kamella said. "Why were you sleeping in the middle of nowhere?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Junior said as he stared at the blanket.

Kamella's expression grew darker.

"You know, if you don't want to talk, I have other ways of getting information out of you," she said. "I have a truth telling potion on one of my shelves."

Junior scoffed.

"If it is that stuff that has the human eye in it, I'm not going to take it," he said.

"Alright," said Kamella. "Then I could probe your mind."

Junior noticed that Kamella didn't have a wand in her hand, which was required for the practice of mind probing.

"And how are you going to do that?" Junior asked.

Kamella let out a teensy smile.

"I have many wands in my storage closet," she said.

"That is illegal," said Junior. "Dad told me that magikoopas are only allowed to have one wand, considering the star bits that serve as the wands' gemstones are hard to come by on this planet."

Now Kamella beamed.

"You really are a clever koopa, your majesty," she complimented the young prince. "I suppose that due to that, you may keep your intentions a secret."

As Kamella walked into the next room, Junior instantly felt a longing developing in his mind. The truth was, he wanted to talk about what had happened.

"Wait," Junior said.

Kamella turned back around, and Junior launched into the full story. He told her about his birth story, the ice cream incident, what he said to the Koopalings, and how his father still had yet to dole out a punishment. Kamella listened intently and when Junior was done, she looked genuinely sympathetic.

"Hmm. Yes, I have heard about your birth story in the past," she said. "I can imagine that knowledge feels like a heavy weight on your heart."

Junior instantly burst into tears. Kamella went over to the bed and patted him on the back.

"It's just...it's not fair!" Junior said between sobs. "Why can't I have a mother? Everyone else does. Even the Koopalings." Junior dried his eyes. "I wanted to talk to my dad about this, but he seems okay with the birth story. And the Koopalings couldn't possibly understand! They're just...I don't even know what they are." Tears started to flow down Junior's face again, and Kamella wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, baby," she said with a hurt tone. "I can't say I know what it is like to live without a mother, but I do understand that it must be hard. You must be lonely."

Junior shook his head.

"I don't know if I would say that," he said. "I have my dad and the Koopalings."

"But didn't you just say that you can't go to them? Isn't it true that your siblings wouldn't understand?"

Junior thought about this. She had a point. He supposed on some level, he was lonely.

"I guess...I guess the one thing I want the most is something that I can't have," Junior said.

Kamella nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that can be hard to wrestle with," she said. Then she smiled. "You know, I can't give you a real mother. But I can do something."

Junior looked up at Kamella.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I've always wanted a child of my own. Why don't I be your adoptive mother?"

Junior's eyes twinkled and he bounced out of the bed.

"You can do that?" he asked.

"Yes I can," said Kamella. "Of course, my experience with kids might be a little rusty, but I can still do my best."

Junior beamed.

"That would be awesome!" he squealed. "Thank you, Kamella!"

Kamella smiled down at Junior.

"You're welcome, son," she said. Then she got up off the bed. "Now, why don't we see about getting you something to eat?"


	5. Ringtones

Chapter 5 Ringtones

"Okay, everyone," Iggy said to his siblings once they were all outside. "We should start searching the Koopa Kingdom and the following areas. Junior could be anywhere, after all."

The Koopalings nodded. Bowser had called a state of emergency and had tasked all of the soldiers in the Koopa Troop with finding Junior. The Koopalings had offered to join the hunt as well. As Iggy gave his siblings instructions, they could not help but notice that fingerprints of worry plastered all over his face.

"Iggy," said Wendy, "are you alright?"

Iggy knew that there was no point in lying to the others. He shook his head rapidly.

"It pains me to report that I am not," he said. "My worries are on par with paranoia. If something happened to Junior, I do not foresee myself being able to recover."

Wendy went up and put her hand on Iggy's shoulder.

"Nothing is going to happen to Junior," she said. "You know that he is a tough little cookie."

"Oh, don't even talk about cookies in front of me," said Roy. "You know I get all drooly-mouthed when you do that."

Iggy grinned a little bit.

"I am grateful for your compassion, Wendy," he said. He let out a breath and pulled out something from the satchel he had strapped over his shoulder. "I have devised a method that we can put to use in order to stay in contact with one another."

The Koopalings looked at what Iggy had and their eyes grew wide. In his hands were seven cell phones. They were color coded so that they corresponded to the Koopalings' shells.

"Woah, you're giving us phones?" Larry asked in excitement. "I thought Bowser wouldn't allow us to have those!"

"I have conversed with our parental figure and he has allowed me to distribute them," said Iggy. He handed one cell phone to each sibling. "I constructed them myself, so I do not wish that you six do anything reckless."

Lemmy laughed.

"Don't you worry about that, Iggy," he said with a smile. "We can be very responsible when we choose to be."

Iggy was about to say something when Larry spoke up.

"Woah, you can customize ringtones!" he exclaimed. He laughed. "You know, I think that this would be the perfect ringtone for when Ludwig calls me."

Larry pressed a button and the iconic horror cord could be heard. Wendy, Lemmy, and Roy burst into laughter. Ludwig glared at his brother.

"Oh, is that the game we're playing now?" Ludwig asked with a raised eyebrow. He then started going through the ringtones on his phone. "You know, I have the perfect ringtone for you too, Larry."

Ludwig pressed a button and a yelling voice could be heard.

"THERE'S A LOSER ON THE LINE! PICK UP YOUR PHONE AND TALK TO THE LOSER!" Then the voice got quieter. "You should probably talk to them; they're kind of pathetic."

Wendy, Lemmy, and Roy's laughter grew louder. Larry looked astounded and angry.

"Oh, wow," said Lemmy. "That's awful."

Wendy looked through her ringtone selection and smiled.

"It is," she said. "But it isn't as awful as _this."_

Wendy then selected a ringtone, and a song to the tune of "Jingle Bells" started playing.

_Annoying, annoying_

_Are you annoyed yet?_

_This song is your ringtone_

_And it is meant to annoy you!_

_Annoying, annoying_

_Are you annoyed yet?_

_If you don't pick up the phone_

_This song will go on loop._

Now a majority of the Koopalings burst into laughter. Even Morton gave a slight smile. Iggy, however, just stood there, looking horrified.

"Guys!" he said. "This is totally inappropriate! The more time we spend goofing around, the less time is dedicated to trying to locate Junior!"

The Koopalings' laughter instantly died. Morton came up to Iggy.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "They are just trying to make the best out of a bad situation."

"Yeah, Iggy," said Larry. "Honestly, you should consider lightening up."

Iggy sighed.

"My apologies," he said. "I just...I'm just a little on edge, you know?"

The Koopalings nodded in understanding. Paranoia came very easily to Iggy.

"It's okay Iggy," said Lemmy. "We understand."

Iggy smiled then looked authoritative.

"Alright," he said. "Larry and I will search the Koopa Kingdom. Lemmy, you get World 3. Wendy, you should take World 4. Roy and Morton, you get World 2 and World 6 respectively. And Ludwig, you search World 7. A majority of the troops already have World 5 and the Mushroom Kingdom covered. So, does anyone have any questions?"

Roy raised his hand.

"Yes, Roy?" Iggy asked.

"Uhhh….what does 'respectively' mean?"

Ludwig facepalmed and Morton shook his head. Iggy sighed.

"It means that you search World 2," Iggy said.

"Oh," said Roy. "Hey, isn't World 2 the desert?"

"Yes it is," Iggy replied. "You patrolled there before, remember?"

Roy's face light up with recollection. He nodded his head.

"Alright, if you find Junior or have any problems during the search, don't be afraid to call me or anyone else," said Iggy. "Do you comprehend what I am saying?"

The Koopalings all said yes in unison. Iggy smiled.

"Great," he said. "I wish all of you the best of fortune."

With that, the Koopalings headed off to their assigned worlds. Larry glanced at Iggy.

"So Iggy, where do we search first?" he asked.

"Well, the village of Stonebrim is only a mile's walk from here," said Iggy. "My suggestion is that we commence with our search in that area."

Larry nodded and the two headed off to the village.


	6. A Great King

Chapter 6 A Great King

Ludwig flew toward World 7. While the worries he had about finding Junior were on the forefront of his mind, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of peace. He loved using his flying power. Using it always made him feel so….free. He was grateful that he was given an excuse to use it outside of a combat scenario.

Ludwig could see World 7 in the distance. World 7, or Sky Land as it was creatively called, was a place that Ludwig knew like the back of his hand. Seeing how he was the only member of the Koopalings who was one of the super powered koopas called specials, Bowser often made him patrol that area when they went on kidnapping missions. Ludwig absolutely adored World 7; sure, the air was a little thin at that altitude, but it was also very cool and clean. The paratroopas who populated Sky Land were also some of the nicest people that Ludwig had ever met.

Ludwig knew exactly where he was going to search first: the town of Moonview. It was on the border between World 7 and the Koopa Kingdom and was the most likely place for Junior to be. As Ludwig flew up to the town, he noticed that something was off. The place was eerily quiet. It was as if Moonview had turned into a ghost town.

"Yeesh. I know I didn't shower yesterday, but I don't smell bad enough to make everyone duck for cover," Ludwig said to himself. "Where on the Mushroom World is everybody?"

That was when Ludwig detected the sound of cheerful music. He followed the sound and found that the whole town had gathered for a fair. Ludwig racked his brain, trying to remember what exactly they were celebrating.

"Hey, look! It's Ludwig von Koopa!"

One male koopa paratroopa and a regular female koopa came up to the blue-haired special. That looked overjoyed to see him. The girl examined Ludwig from head to toe.

"Wow. I've never met any of the Koopalings before!" she gushed. "It sure is an honor to meet you, your highness."

Ludwig smiled.

"Well," he said with a chuckle. "I think I've found two new people to add to my fanclub."

"You have a fanclub?" asked the paratroopa.

"No, not to my knowledge." Ludwig thought about this. "Although, that would be a nice idea to officialize. I can only imagine how much money I would make off of merchandising alone."

The paratroopa and the koopa girl laughed. Then the koopa girl went over to a cotton candy stand and brought back a humongous glob of blue fluff.

"In celebration of Sky Land's Independence Day, I would like to give this to you," she said.

Ludwig gratefully thanked her and started eating the cotton candy. It wasn't a treat that he got to consume very often.

"We are having a fireworks display this evening," said the paratroopa. "Will you be staying for that?"

"I wish I could," Ludwig said with his mouth full of spun sugar, "but I have an important job that I need to take care of before I can even consider relaxing."

The paratroopa and the koopa girl nodded in understanding and blended back into the crowd. Ludwig then realized how difficult it was going to be to find Junior among these people, if he was even among the people. Ludwig flew above the crowd and started calling out Junior's name.

"Junior! Bowser Jr!"

Ludwig didn't know if the music had gotten louder or if it was the crowd, but his voice was lost in the sea of noise. Ludwig began to grow frustrated.

_I'm going to be here all night, aren't I? _

That was going to be a problem. There were a generous number of towns in World 7. And as Iggy had said, Junior could be anywhere. Ludwig needed to use his time wisely, otherwise something could happen to the young prince.

WIth this in mind, Ludwig started flying above the fair, scanning the crowd for the unmistakable appearance of Bowser Jr. He had just about come to the edge of the fair when he spotted a little koopa boy being picked on by two young sledge brothers. Ludwig decided that he needed to see what was going on, so he flew within earshot of the group.

"You are such a baby, Haddock," said one of the sledge brothers to the kid. "Why can't you go steal something?"

"Because stealing is wrong!" shouted the koopa boy.

"What does right and wrong have to do with this?" asked the other sledge. "You know what else I think is wrong? The fact that you are nothing but a penniless wimp he can't even recognize an opportunity when it comes up and bites him in the snout."

The koopa boy, apparently called Haddock, hung his head and started to cry.

'You know what?" asked the first sledge brother. "If you aren't going to steal something, then I guess we'll just have to beat you until you say yes."

Haddock looked absolutely horrified. The sledge brothers started to come up to him, looking menacing.

"HEY!"

The sledge brothers looked behind them and saw Ludwig seven feet off the ground. He was completely surrounded by blue flames.

"You leave that kid alone or you're going to answer to me!"

The sledge brothers ran away terrified. Ludwig flew down to Haddock.

"You alright?" he asked. Haddock nodded his head.

"Thank you," he said.

"Don't mention it," said Ludwig. He then held out the leftover cotton candy. "Here. Take it."

Haddock hesitated for just a minute before taking the cotton candy from Ludwig. He pulled little pieces of it off and started to chew on them.

"I can't believe that sledge brothers would feel the need to pick on a little kid," said Ludwig. "Where are your parents?"

"Don't have any," Haddock said. "They left me on the side of the road before I was born."

Ludwig felt a pang of empathy. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned by his parents.

"I used to live in an orphanage before it shut down," said Haddock. "People weren't giving us enough money."

Ludwig nodded in understanding.

"I believe I might be able to do something to fix that," he said. "I can talk to Bowser about donating some money to World 7's government."

Haddock smiled.

"Thank you, sir," he said. "You know, I think you're going to do a great job when you become king."

"Oh, I'm not going to be king."

"Why not? Aren't you Bowser's oldest son?"

Ludwig sighed.

"Yes and no," he said. "My siblings and I were adopted by Bowser, and only a biological child can inherit the throne."

"Oh," said Haddock. "That's a stupid law."

"It's not that bad," said Ludwig. "It does make sense."

Haddock nodded.

"I guess," he said. "But still, I wish that adopted children could become king. Because I can already tell, that you would be a great one."

Haddock walked away while munching on the cotton candy. Ludwig thought about what he said.

"A great king…"


	7. A Koopaling's Wish

Chapter 7 A Koopaling's Wish

"I don't know if it's just me, but this place looks really boring," said Larry.

Iggy nodded.

"It is notably drab when contrasted to the extravagance of other Koopa Kingdom provinces, specifically the capital's."

The town of Stonebrim was somehow grayer than the landscape that surrounded it, if that was even possible. There was an almost gloomy, lethargic quality to it. The koopas, koopa troopas, and goombas who walked the streets looked either somber, grumpy, impatient, or some combination of the three emotions.

"Okay, so where should we search first?" Larry asked. "I want to spend as little time here as possible; I don't know if sadness is contagious."

Iggy laughed.

"Actually, koopas, toads, goombas, and humans are all very social creatures," he said. "So yes, there is some level of contagiousness when it comes to emotions. Scientists and psychologists are still studying why, but they believe it is due to a survival instinct imbued in our minds…"

Larry groaned. Iggy stopped talking and stared at him.

"What concerns you at this moment?" he asked.

"Dude, we have way more important issues to worry about than science stuff," Larry said. He let out a laugh. "I'm starting to think that emotions aren't contagious, actually. Because if they were, then you would feel really annoyed right now."

Iggy glared at Larry as Larry chuckled.

"You know what? I am done conversing with you," Iggy said frustratedly. "Why don't you go search uptown?"

Larry nodded and the two Koopalings went their separate ways. Larry was expecting the upper part of Stonebrim to be just as depressing as its lower counterpart, but to his surprise it was much more uplifting. There was a splash of color here and there, and the people who walked up and down the streets seemed a lot more cheerful. Someone smiled at Larry, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Eh, what do you know?" Larry said to himself. "I guess emotions are contagious after all."

Suddenly, Larry heard someone yelling. It sounded like a little kid. Larry instantly became alert.

"Junior?" he asked. He followed the sound around the corner. If it was Junior, he hoped that he wasn't hurt. Once Larry turned the corner, he breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't Junior; it was just a little kid. He was in a stroller, which was being pushed by his mother. Once the little kid saw Larry, he smiled and pointed.

"Warry!" he shouted.

Larry smiled and approached him.

"Hey there, little buddy," he said. "What's going on in the world of…?" Larry looked at his mother.

"Ash," she said.

"Ash?" Larry asked as he leaned forward and put his hand out. Ash put his hand in Larry's.

"Big hand, Warry!" Ash said as he started to giggle. Larry and Ash's mother laughed.

"Your hand could be a decent size too, honey," Ash's mother said. "As long as you eat your vegetables."

Ash's face fell. Larry, remembering why he was there in the first place, looked at Ash's mother.

"You didn't happen to see Prince Bowser Jr around here, did you?"

Ash's mother shook her head.

"No, I can't say that I have," she said.

"Fu…."

Larry was about to swear when he saw Ash's mother give him a look of horror. Larry looked down at Ash.

"...dge pops. I was going to say fudge pops."

Ash started bouncing up and down.

"I want fudge pops! I want fudge pops!" he said excitedly.

Ash's mother sighed.

"No sweetie," she said. Turning to Larry, she said: "If I see the prince, I'll make sure to let you know." With that she walked away. Larry couldn't help but notice how quick her pace was. Larry smirked, shook his head, and started walking down the street.

Larry looked from left to right. He noticed that there were a bunch of little kids playing. Most if not all of them were accompanied by their parents. He could see a little koopa girl with one hand holding an ice cream cone and the other gripping her father's hand. Larry could also see a teenage koopa troopa having a heated debate with her mom.

As Larry watched the people passing down the street, he couldn't help but feel...empty. Sure, Bowser was a nice guy and he did take care of the Koopalings fairly well. But...it wasn't the same as having a biological father. And as Larry thought about it, he realized that he and Junior had something in common. Deep down, while they didn't admit it very often, they both wanted a real mother.

Larry stopped in the middle of the street after a passerby waved at him. He stood there for a minute then let out a sigh.

"I wish I knew who my real parents are," he said to himself.`


	8. A Mother's Love

Chapter 8 A Mother's Love

Junior stared out the window of Kamella's hut. The scenery looked vastly different in comparison to his home. The landscape was covered in a blanket of snow, which twinkled in the moonlight. Humongous pine trees towered over the land like mighty kings, and in the sky Junior could see the northern lights dancing like rainbow colored ribbons. It was one of the most beautiful sights Junior had ever seen.

It was also the most depressing.

While Junior thought that Kamella was amazing, something always seemed off whenever he interacted with her. She was too affectionate, she seemed to adore him too much. Junior wasn't used to these kind of displays, so it made him uncomfortable. It made him long for his dad.

While he wouldn't admit it to anyone if they asked, Junior also missed the Koopalings.

He imagined that his adopted siblings were out there looking for him. He could imagine Iggy giving orders to them, speaking in techno jargon while Roy, Larry, and Ludwig would groan in annoyance. Lemmy would be skipping along in his happy go lucky way while Wendy would be genuinely worried about her little brother. And Morton...well, he would just be himself. His quiet, emotionless self.

Junior felt bummed out thinking about this. He decided that he should join Kamella at the dinner table. If there was anything that could cheer him up, it would be food. When Junior entered the dining room, he was greeted by Kamella's smile and a pleasing smell. Junior saw that there were chicken wings and mashed potatoes sitting on the table.

"I usually make my meals using magic," said Kamella. "But today I made dinner by hand."

Junior nodded solemnly and took a seat. Despite the fact that the food looked amazingly scrumptious, he wasn't hungry. He just sat there picking at it. Kamella noticed instantly that something was amiss.

"What is wrong, sweetie?" she aksed.

There was a moment of silence as Junior started to make a gravy volcano with his mashed potatoes.

"Nothing," he said.

"Do you not like the meal I prepared for you?" Kamella asked. More silence. Suddenly, it dawned on Kamella why Junior was upset. Her face fell.

"Oh," she said. "You miss your family."

"No I don't!" Junior shouted. "Why would I miss them?"

"You tell me," said Kamella as she leaned back in her seat. Junior scoffed.

"It's not like there is anything to miss," Junior said. "The Koopalings are super annoying. Ludwig is always bragging about how he has so many songs under his belt, and Iggy is just as bad with his experiments. And Roy...oh ho, don't even get me started on Roy."

Kamella nodded.

"So if you don't miss your family," Kamella said, "why are you upset?"

There was another moment of silence. Junior glared at Kamella.

"I just...I guess I'm not used to the snow," he said.

Kamella laughed.

"Ah," she said. "You are experiencing seasonal affective disorder. That is very understandable. I myself have struggled with it over the first few months of living here."

Junior nodded and started picking at his food again. Kamella got up and put her hand on Junior's shoulder.

"My son," she said. "I just want you to know that based on the way you have described them your family does not sound like a very appealing group of koopas."

Junior hesitated a little bit before responding.

"No," he said. "They are not."

Kamella nodded, her mouth in a serious line.

"I promise you this, Bowser Jr," she said. "If they ever find you and try to harm you in anyway, then I will do anything and everything in my power to keep them away from you. I am not afraid of what could happen to me; my main concern is you and your safety."

As Junior listened to Kamella, he couldn't help but feel chills run up and down his spine. He nodded hesitantly.

"Okay," he said quietly. Kamella put on a smile once again.

"Good," she said. Then she started walking away. Junior felt puzzled.

"Where are you going?'' he asked.

"I need to go find my wand," she said. "It is the only wand that I will ever have, after all. It would be detrimental if it was lost forever."

Junior nodded in understanding.

"Okay," he said. "But before you go, is it okay if you read me a bedtime story first?"

Kamella looked at Junior and smiled.

"Well, I don't have a lot of books in the house aside from spellbooks," she said. "But I can make up a story for you."

Junior smiled. After he finished his dinner, he went over to his straw bed and let Kamella tuck him. Once he was situated, Kamella launched into her story.

_Once upon a time, there was a young boy named CJ. He had many siblings and was despised by all of them. This was because his siblings were evil. They stole candy from babies and refused to wash their hands after done in the bathroom._

_CJ didn't feel safe with his evil siblings, so he decided to go on an adventure. On this adventure he met a wise old woman who was happy to take him in. They played games together, and the old woman loved CJ very much. She didn't want anything to separate them._

_One day, the evil siblings found CJ. They tried to force him to return home. The old woman was angered that someone would try to take her precious baby away from her. So, she found a chain chomp in the woods. It was the size of a house and had menacing teeth. The old woman unleashed the chomp on the evil siblings, and he gobbled them up. The only thing that was left of the evil siblings were a few bones._

_CJ was happy that the old woman had protected them, and the two of them lived happily ever after. The end._

"Well, good night Junior," Kamella said. She kissed Junior on the forehead and left the room. Junior just sat alone in the dark with a horrible feeling in his stomach.


	9. Who Are They?

Chapter 9 Who Are They?

The sun was setting over the Koopa Kingdom, and Iggy was tired. He and Larry had searched through a majority of the Koopa Kingdom towns, from Stonebrim to Thwompville to Generica. They had ultimately come up unsuccessful.

If Iggy had his way, he would want to search for Junior all night; however, he recognized the importance of sleep and knew that trying to push his body past its limits was not a good plan. So, he told Larry that they were going to stay in a motel. Larry was hesitant at first, but eventually agreed.

Once the two brothers arrived at the motel, Iggy practically crashed onto the bed. He didn't care if it smelled of dust or if it had a scratchy comforter. He didn't even bother to take his glasses off; Larry had to do that for him. Iggy was just awake enough to be annoyed by this.

"Lawrence!" he said. "Please kindly return my spectacles."

Larry only grinned in response.

"Why?" he asked mischievously.

"Because without them, my optical receptors fail to function properly!" Iggy stated. Larry burst into laughter.

"You won't need your 'optical receptors' when you are sleeping, Koopstein," he said.

Iggy grumbled, sprang to his feet, and snatched the glasses from Larry. At least, he would have snatched the glasses if he had been able to see.

"Even though their necessity diminishes when I enter the stages of slumber, I still would not entrust them to anyone else," he said. "Especially you."

Iggy could barely make out a koopa in front of him. He stormed toward the koopa, expecting it to be Larry. He was hit with a nasty shock when he collided with a mirror. Larry burst into laughter.

"Wow," Larry said after he had finished laughing. "You really are blind as a swooper without your glasses." He handed the spectacles back to Iggy. "You might not want to become an airforce pilot anytime soon."

Iggy glared at Larry as he took his glasses back. He grumpily went back to the bed, put them on the nightstand, and got under the covers.

"Please do not interrupt my sleep cycle," he said. "My desire is for me to get decent REM sleep." Iggy turned off the light and rolled onto his side.

"Iggy?"

Iggy groaned and turned the light back on.

"Did I not just say to not interrupt my sleep cycle?" he asked.

Larry sighed.

"I was just wondering about who are biological parents are," he said.

Iggy realized that this was going to be a discussion worth having with Larry. He put his glasses back on and sat up in bed.

"If you want to know the truth," Iggy said, "I do not have the slightest outlook as to who we might be related to."

Larry stared at Iggy.

"But...you must have known them at some point. Or at least I expect that Lemmy and Ludwig would have met them."

Iggy shook his head sadly.

"It appears that Bowser has yet to inform you of the true story," Iggy said. He chuckled. "I suppose it would not be the best of anecdotes."

Larry sat down on the edge of the bed as Iggy told him the tale.

"Nineteen years ago, about ten months before Ludwig was born, Bowser went to an orphanage," Iggy began. "He was told that he had to wait for the right moment for the cloning process to officially take place. Nevertheless, he still wanted to have kids. So, as I mentioned before, he went to an orphanage in the middle of the night without the knowledge of Kamek or his father."

"Wait, his father?" Larry asked.

"King Morton Koopa Sr. passed away right before Morton was born, so you would not have met him," Iggy explained. "Bowser named our brother after him in his honor."

Larry nodded as Iggy continued.

"Anyway, all of the children in the orphanage were asleep. The only person who was still awake was the orphan matron. Bowser asked her if he could adopt a child, and she said that he would need to come back in the morning. That was when he spotted a rucksack near the door to the dining room. He went over, peaked inside, and that was when he saw seven eggs. Each one was a milky white and had shiny, jewel-like speckles. What was interesting is no two eggs had the same color speckles. One had dark blue speckles, one had light blue, the others red, purple, orange, pink, and chartreuse."

"Boy that word is a mouthful," Larry said with a chuckle. "Anyway, where did the eggs come from?"

Iggy looked sad.

"Bowser asked the orphan matron the same thing," he said. "She told him that a koopa paratroopa passerby spotted them flowing up the river in the sack. He fished them out and spent the next week trying to locate the parents. But no one was willing to claim them, so he brought them to the orphanage."

Larry felt both curiosity and chilling dread creep into his mind like spiders. Flowing up the river? Why were they flowing up the river? Did their parents put them there?

"Bowser felt sympathy toward the eggs, or rather, us," Iggy said. "He decided to adopt us and bring us to the castle right then and there."

Larry was enthralled by the story. He had so many questions and didn't know which one to ask first.

"We are fortunate that we were in a waterproof rucksack," Iggy said. "Otherwise we would have perished."

Larry felt a lump form in his throat. Once he swallowed it, he asked the first question on his mind.

"So no one knows who are parents are?" he said. Iggy nodded.

"Well, if that is the case," Larry continued, "how do we know that we are even siblings? Did you perform some kind of test?"

Iggy weakly smiled.

"You were probably too young to remember this, but I did do that," he said. "The tests confirmed that we all share the same parents."

Larry nodded. Then Iggy yawned.

"Now, if you excuse me, I wish to return to my slumber," he said. He took off his glasses, turned the light off, and rolled over on his side. Despite this, Larry still wanted to know something.

"Iggy?"

Iggy groaned and turned the light back on.

"What?" he said frustratedly.

"Do you think...it's possible….."

Iggy stared at Larry as he hesitated over what words to say. Finally, Larry shook his head.

"Never mind," he said. "It's not important." With that, Larry got into his bed and turned off the light.


	10. A Koopaling's Dream

Chapter 10 A Koopaling's Dream

Ludwig did not know where to rest for the night. It wasn't like he didn't have options though. There were a few hotels and motels in World 7, and he guessed that if he asked, somebody would be willing to let him sleep in their guest bedroom. Eventually though, Ludwig decided to just sleep outside. The ground, which was made entirely of clouds, was fluffy and clean. He didn't see any harm in sleeping out under the moon and stars.

Ludwig broke off a piece of nearby cloud to use as a pillow. As he got himself situated, he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. As he predicted, the search of Moonview had taken all of the place had just been too crowded. What made it worse was the fact that inthe end, Junior was still nowhere to be found. While this didn't make Ludwig mad persay, it did make him upset.

"Flippin Junior," he mumbled to himself. "Where the World Eight is he?" The only response that Ludwig got to this question was the cool ruffle of an eastern zephyr.

Ludwig sighed. It shouldn't be this way. Junior was old enough to realize the role he had to play in society. He was also old enough to realize how people would react if he did something stupid, like run away. Or, as Ludwig remembered, say right to his siblings' faces that he wished they were never born. When this thought came into Ludwig's mind, electricity started to buzz in the air.

"Stupid, selfish, spoiled rotten brat!" he growled as fire started to consume his hands. Suddenly, fire shot out of Ludwig's hands and hit the cloud he was going to rest his head on. This caused it to poof out of existence. Ludwig sighed and got another piece of cloud.

"Okay Ludwig," he said to himself, "just relax. Try going to sleep; you'll probably feel better in the morning." So, Ludwig laid down on the cloud pillow. He also took off his blue cloak so he could use it as a blanket. With one last yawn, Ludwig drifted off to sleep.

…

_Ludwig stood in the throne room, in front of a huge crowd of koopas. He looked down and saw that he was wearing a velvet cloak. Unlike the cloak that he usually wore, it was purple in color and much longer. _

_Ludwig looked forward and saw that Bowser was standing right in front of him. He had a golden crown in his hands and was smiling at Ludwig._

"_Ladies and gentleman, koopas and goombas," Bowser said. "We gather here today to celebrate the coronation of my beloved son, Ludwig von Koopa. Being the most powerful koopa in all of the Mushroom World as well as my eldest, I find it only fitting to bestow the role of Koopa King onto him."_

_The crowd cheered. Ludwig turned to them and a smile came to his face. Was this actually happening? Was he actually being crowned king of the koopas? This was a dream come true!_

"_Therefore, by the power vested in me," said Bowser, "I hereby announce you King Ludwig!" With that, Bowser placed the crown upon Ludwig's head. Ludwig beamed as he turned back to the crowd. The crowd started chanting his name, and in the distance Ludwig could hear the sound of one of his symphonies._

"_Ludwig," Bowser said, "would you like to say a few words?"_

_Ludwig nodded and took a step forward._

"_Citizens of the Koopa Kingdom," he said, "this is a great honor. Possibly one of the greatest honors ever bestowed on me. And for that, I would just like to say…"_

_Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and shake. Ludwig looked at Bowser, who looked as frightened as he felt. Then the roof of the castle tore away, revealing a giant Junior._

"_HE SHOULDN'T BE KING!" Junior bellowed. "IT SHOULD BE ME!"_

_With that, Junior picked Ludwig off the ground. Ludwig wiggled and squirmed, but couldn't break free from Junior's grip._

"_Junior, let me go!" Ludwig said. This only caused Junior's scowl to darken._

"_I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" Junior screamed. Then he opened his mouth, and Ludwig could see fire building up in his throat. Ludwig tried to activate his powers, but he was too frightened. He braced himself for the firebreath to hit him._

…

Ludwig woke up with a start. He looked around and saw that he was still in World 7. Ludwig let out a breath.

"It was just a dream," he said.

On some level, this came as a great relief to Ludwig. On another level, he was also disappointed. He was going to be the king of the Koopa Kingdom, and yet none of it had been real.

But what if it could be real?

This thought caused Ludwig to cringe at first. But then he recalled what Haddock said:

"You would make a great king."

Ludwig thought about this.

"He's right," he said, "I would make a great king!"

As Ludwig considered it some more, he realized that he could very easily make his dream a reality. All he would need to do is not find Junior and convince Bowser to remove the biological child law. Then the crown would go to him.

"Junior running away is the best thing that ever happened to me!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, Ludwig heard his cell phone ringing. He picked it up, and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Oh thank goodness, you're there," came Lemmy's voice. "Do you mind coming down to World 3 with the others?"

"Why? What's the problem Lems?" Ludwig asked.

"I need help," Lemmy said. "Badly."


	11. Petey Piranha

Chapter 11 Petey Piranha

The Koopalings weren't perfect, not by a long shot. Each had flaws that were extremely present in their characters and mannerisms. They got annoyed by one another, aggravated by one another. Despite this, they were always there for each other. Although they didn't say it very often, they loved one another, and they always had each other's backs. So, when Iggy, Larry, Wendy, Ludwig, Morton, and Roy got word that Lemmy needed help, they did not hesitate. They all headed straight for World 3.

The wintery landscape of World 3 was a pretty sight, with its sparkly snow and its splendid northern lights. However, with the exception of Lemmy and sometimes Wendy, the Koopalings rarely went there. This was because their ectothermic blood couldn't take the temperature for very long. If they spent too much time there without any protection from the lack of heat, then they could freeze to death.

As to be expected, the Koopalings could feel their core body temperatures drop when they entered the snow world. They weren't going to let that stop them however. They trudged through the thick snow until they came across their brother. What was odd was the fact that he was trapped in a cage made of roots.

"Oh thank the stars," said Lemmy saw his siblings. "Can you guys get me out of here?"

"Sure thing, Lems," said Iggy. He searched around in his satchel and pulled out a pocket knife. He used that to cut the roots that held Lemmy prisoner. Once Lemmy was completely free, he climbed out of the cage looking both grateful and distraught.

"Thank you so much," said Lemmy. "Now let's get out of here before it comes back."

"Wait, it?" asked Wendy. "What do you mean by it?"

As if on cue, a giant piranha plant burst out of the ground. Unlike most piranha plants, this one had legs. It also had yellow petals and a large, gaping mouth. It roared at the Koopalings.

"It's Petey Piranha!" Iggy yelled. "We need to proceed with caution."

Roy wasn't listening. While Iggy had been talking, he created a snowball in his hands and threw it at Petey Piranha.

"Take that, you...uh, plant!"

, When the snowball hit Petey Piranha, he flapped his leaves and started to ascend into the air. Lemmy started to giggle.

"Hey, he's a plant," he said. "So, I guess you could say that he just 'rose' into the air."

Normally, Iggy, Wendy, and Ludwig would have groaned at a statement like this. However, Petey Piranha started to dive towards them. The Koopalings got out of the way just in time to avoid getting squashed into the ground.

Once they caught their breath, they started to fight. Ludwig, a good ten feet off the ground, flung fire and electricity at Petey. Wendy threw her rings like frisbees. While all this was going on, Larry scolded Roy.

"Nice going," he said. "Now look what you did, you made it mad!"

Roy hung his head.

"Sorry," he said. "I just thought it would be a good idea."

Iggy wasn't listening. Instead, he was busy trying to figure out a way to defeat the monster. He remembered that Mario had fought Petey Piranha on several occasions.

"Petey's weakness is water," he said. He looked around. "And snow is water droplets that froze due to subfreezing temperatures…"

As Iggy started to put the pieces together, a smile came to his face. He formed a snowball and turned to Roy.

"Actually, I think snowballs are an excellent idea." He turned to Wendy. "Wendy, can you make that thing open its mouth? I've got a plan."

Wendy nodded. She made her rings expand to about five times its normal size, big enough to fit into Petey's mouth. She spotted a nearby tree and climbed up it.

"Hey! Look at me, you useless weed!"

Petey Piranha looked up and opened his mouth, as if to roar. That was when Wendy saw her chance. She hurled her ring at Petey's mouth and it stuck in it. Now Petey was unable to close his mouth. He tried to remove the ring, but his leaves were too short to reach.

"NOW!" yelled Iggy.

The Koopalings started throwing snowballs into Petey's mouth. This caused Petey's stomach to swell because of all the water. Once his stomach was big enough, Petey stumbled and fell. Morton went forward and ground pounded on Petey's stomach. This caused all of the snow to shoot out of his mouth, as well as Wendy's ring. Once all the junk was out, Petey dropped his head to the ground, unconscious. The Koopalings cheered.

"Nice job, everyone!" said Iggy. "You especially, Wendy."

"Oh please," Wendy said as she giggled.

"And Roy," Iggy said as he turned to face his brother, "I couldn't have done it without your idea. Thanks."

Roy gave a cute little smile. Then Lemmy noticed something in the snow. He went over and picked up a magic wand.

"Hey guys, check this out!"

The Koopalings gathered around and studied the wand. It had a purple star bit as a gemstone.

"Cool," said Larry. He took the wand out of Lemmy's hands and grinned evilly. "I wonder what kind of stuff I could do with this?"

"Hey!" Ludwig said as he snatched the wand out of Larry's hands. "That is not a toy! We need to find out who this belongs to before something happens."

"Ludwig is correct," said Iggy. "It probably belongs to a magikoopa who resides in this world." With that, the Koopalings began with another search. They walked for about an hour, shivering their tails off. Then, Morton spotted a house in the distance.

"I think we should rest there," said Morton. "We will not be able to find the wand's owner or Junior if we aren't well rested."

The Koopalings nodded and headed toward the house. Iggy knocked on the door and heard someone walking across the floor inside.

"Oh, Kamella! I'm so happy you're…"

The Koopalings stared. There was Junior in the doorway. Junior looked surprised to see his siblings, and the Koopalings looked equally shocked. Then, Junior's expression changed to one of anger.

"What are you doing here?"

**Author's Note: Yep, Junior was found, dun dun dun. Anyway, I have set up a poll on my profile. It is asking which Super Koopalings story you would be interested in seeing after Runaway Reptile. If you guys could take it, I would really appreciate that.**


	12. Reunion

**Author's Note: Hey, I managed to get some free time, so I decided to post. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I would like to remind you all about the poll on my profile. Please take it, I would really appreciate your input.**

Chapter 12 Reunion

Junior glared at his adopted siblings as they stood outside. The Koopalings looked at Junior with shock. Then, as the shock died, their expressions shifted. Junior noticed that Iggy looked serious and authoritative.

"Junior…." he began, managing to sound even more serious than he looked. Then, to everyone's surprise, Morton stepped forward and wrapped Junior in a hug.

"I was so worried about you," Morton said.

Junior was flabbergasted, even more so when he felt liquid run down his shoulder. That could only mean one thing: Morton was crying.

"I thought you were gone for good," Morton said as the tears flowed harder. His voice was also breaking.

Junior didn't know what to say. He would have expected stuff like this from Lemmy, Wendy or Iggy. Heck, even Ludwig, Larry and Roy could get emotional at points. But Morton?

Just as Junior was thinking about him, Lemmy came up and hugged his brother as well. His expression was a mixture of immense relief, happiness, and worry. Like Morton, he was crying, although not as intensely.

"I missed you so much, Junior!" Lemmy cried.

That seemed to be enough to fish Junior out of his mind. He backed away from Lemmy and Morton, the annoyance returning to his face.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you guys here?"

Roy scoffed.

"As if you don't know," he said.

Junior flashed Roy a dirty look. Iggy then stepped forward.

"Junior, do you mind if we could enter? I have already lost all sensation in my tail."

Junior sighed.

"I suppose if you must," he said. The second that Junior said that, the Koopalings ran into Kamella's hut. Larry, Morton, Wendy, Roy, Iggy, and Lemmy noticed that a fire was burning in the fireplace, and made a beeline toward it.

"Ohhh," said Larry as he warmed his hands. "That feels so good!"

Junior stood back and looked at Ludwig beside him. Junior instantly felt a little worried. Ludwig was probably mad at him, and if he was that meant Junior was in danger. While Ludwig would never intentionally hurt anybody using his powers, the sheer fact that they flared up when he was angry was enough to put even the toughest on edge. Thankfully, Ludwig wasn't consumed by flame right now, which Junior took as a good sign.

"So…" Ludwig started.

Junior felt frightened. He braced himself for the electricity to start sparking.

"...this is the place where you're staying?"

Junior felt both relieved and surprised by the special's calm tone.

"You're...you're not mad at me?"

Ludwig didn't know how to answer this. He hesitated over how to put his answer without revealing his true intentions. Thankfully, Ludwig didn't have to answer, as Iggy got up with an expression that screamed with anger and disappointment.

"No Junior," he said. "We are extremely mad at you. Do you have even the subtlest inkling regarding the severity of your actions?"

"I…" Junior hesitated.

"You could have died!" Wendy said as she got up. "You could have been kidnapped!"

"Yeah, talk about stupid," said Roy.

Junior gave an annoyed sigh as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, I didn't die," he said. "And I did _not_ get kidnapped. In fact, I've had a much better time here than I've ever had with any of you."

This caused Lemmy to get up from in front of the fire. He looked shocked.

"What? But what about that time we went on that kidnapping mission on Princess Peach's birthday? Didn't we have fun with each other while we were on the airship?"

Junior snickered, but it wasn't due to him remembering the event. Wendy approached Junior and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Listen bud," she said, "I know that you're upset about your birth story and your punishment, but that is no excuse to run away."

Junior let out a breath and looked away from his sister.

"You guys could never understand…"

"Never understand?" Larry said. "Do you realize who you are talking to?"

"Our parents abandoned us before we were born," said Iggy.

"So yeah," said Wendy. "We have an idea what it is like to live without a mother."

Junior didn't know what to say. Tears started to flow down his face. He couldn't look at anyone in the room, and he couldn't pinpoint the emotion that he was experiencing.

"Junior, we don't want you to stay here," said Lemmy. "The Koopa Kingdom needs you."

Now Junior was starting to feel mad.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "The stupid kingdom needs me. That is the whole reason why I exist at all, to be a flipping replacement for my dad!"

"Junior," said Wendy.

"No! I am not going back! My whole life I've been told that I am going to be king. Well, what if I don't want to be king? What if I just want to live my life like a normal koopa?"

Now it was the Koopalings' turn to feel mad. Everything that Junior was destined to do, from being a good king to having a son of his own; he was willing to throw all of that away. And for what? What exactly did Junior gain by doing this?

"Okay, you listen to me young man…." Iggy started.

"Leave him alone."

Iggy looked at Ludwig as he held his flame covered hand in front of him. To say that Iggy was startled would be an understatement.

"We don't need to push him," Ludwig said sternly. "If Junior is happier where he is, then he has every right to stay."

The others gawked.

"Ludwig, are you insane?" Iggy asked.

"No," said Ludwig. "I just want my brother to be happy."

Iggy started stuttering.

"But...but...but…"

Iggy was about to say what was on his mind when he noticed the air buzzing with electric current. He also saw that the blue flames were covering Ludwig's entire body.

"I don't want to fight you Iggy," said Ludwig. "But if push comes to shove, then I will."

Iggy closed his mouth and stared at Ludwig. Then he sighed and turned back toward his siblings.

"Come on guys," he said. "Let's get out of here."

"But...but the fire," said Lemmy.

"We'll find somewhere else to stay for the night," Iggy said. "Somewhere that is just as warm as here."

The others looked a little hesitant before following Iggy and Ludwig out. This left Junior alone in the room, feeling puzzled. Did Ludwig just defend him? Why would he do that? Why would Ludwig defend him after everything? He had expected to be dragged back to the castle kicking and screaming. Why did Ludwig do what he did?


	13. In A Cold Cave

Chapter 13 In A Cold Cave

After they left the house, the Koopalings walked for about half an hour, using Ludwig's pyrokinesis to keep warm. At this point, they were desperate to find shelter in some form. While Ludwig's fire powers could keep others warm, he was immune to them. The only way that he could benefit from their heat was if they were used to light a fire

The Koopalings finally found a cave that they could sleep in. After Iggy clarified that the cave wasn't occupied by any ferocious animals, they eagerly entered, shivering and exhausted. While the cave was cold, it wasn't nearly as cold as the outside.

The group decided that they needed firewood, so they sent Roy out to get it. He returned with the kindling about ten minutes later. Once Ludwig lit it, everyone gathered around.

"I will never take fire for granted ever again," Larry said.

Iggy nodded. Then he glared at Ludwig.

"I can't believe you," he said. "Ludwig, do you have any common sense whatsoever? Junior is an essential asset to the kingdom!"

Ludwig scoffed.

"'Essential asset.' Listen to yourself; this is exactly what he was talking about. You are treating him like nothing more than a pawn."

Iggy sighed frustratedly.

"How shallow did you believe I am? I don't see Junior as a pawn. I have never once viewed Junior as a pawn. I mean...okay, let's take the fact that he is the Koopa Kingdom's heir out of the equation for a brief time period. He still has a father that is worried sick about him."

"But he wasn't happy with his old life!" Ludwig protested.

Iggy started sputtering.

"That's...that's...that's you're line of reasoning? Junior's happiness? What about the stability of the kingdom? What about his father? _Our _father?"

Ludwig hands were starting to be consumed by flame again.

"Junior is free to make his own choices," he stated. "And I am willing to support whatever decision he makes."

Iggy didn't know what to say. How could Ludwig be so blind to reality? It could be argued that he was one of the most sensical in the group. How could act so...so stupid?

"Ludwig, can I talk to you for a second?"

Everyone was surprised to hear Morton speak up. Without waiting for him to acknowledge that he had even heard the question, Morton put his hand on Ludwig's shoulder and pulled him away from the group. Ludwig could see the slightest hint of anger glittering in his brother's eyes.

"What is this really about?" Morton asked once they were a healthy distance away from the rest of the Koopalings.

"I told you what this is about; Junior looks happier where he is," Ludwig responded.

"No, there is more than that," Morton said. "You have an ulterior motive."

Ludwig snickered.

"No I don't," he scoffed.

"Bull crackers," said Morton. "I know my siblings well enough to tell when they are lying and you, sir, are lying your tail off."

There was a moment of silence. Ludwig stared at Morton. Morton used a collected tone, and his face looked impassive. Those who didn't know him would assume that he was relatively calm, which he was. But Ludwig was able to pick up on the subtle nuances in Morton's face and the slight passion in his inflection that indicated that he was irritated, that he desperately wanted to know more. Ludwig exhaled through the nose.

"You really want to know?" he asked. "Fine. Junior shouldn't be the next king, it should be me."

Morton's expression shifted to one of slight amazement.

"Since when have you started thinking like that?" he asked.

"That doesn't matter," said Ludwig. "The point is, why should that little brat inherit the throne?"

"He's Bowser's son," said Morton.

"So am I," said Ludwig.

"Not his biological," said Morton matter of factly.

"Why should blood play a part in this?" Ludwig said. "Junior is grossly under qualified to rule a kingdom. He doesn't consider others, he has no knowledge or care for politics, and he is extremely insensitive. Don't you remember what he said to us? Meanwhile, I am smarter, I have much more acceptable political knowledge, and on top of that I just so happen to be a special! I would make a great king!"

Morton's face narrowed into a scowl. He shook his head.

"Ludwig, you can't inherit the throne," he said.

"Why?" said Ludwig as blue flames started to eat his hands. "Please, tell me why!"

"You know the reason…" said Morton.

"Well, it's a stupid reason!" Ludwig yelled. Suddenly, the flames that engulfed his hands died and he shook his head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. All that I have to do is keep Junior away from the castle. He can't inherit the crown if he isn't present."

Now Morton looked absolutely horrified.

"I can't believe how selfish you're acting," he said.

"Well, that's just one of my vices," said Ludwig.

"So?" said Morton. "You don't have to be defined by your flaws. No one does." With that, he walked away.


	14. Pondering

**Author's Note: I'M BACK! After 3 days in the car, 7 days in my new house, and 10 days of absence, I am finally back. I am really enjoying my new house, but most of all I am just glad to be writing again. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 14 Pondering

Ludwig stood outside in the freezing cold, pondering over the conversation that he just had with Morton. He could easily see Morton's angle, which made him feel even madder. Sure, he wasn't Bowser's biological son. So what? He deserved the throne! At least he did more than Junior!

"Ludwig?"

Ludwig looked behind him and saw Larry standing in the cave entrance. He had his arms wrapped around him in order to sustain warmth.

"Ludwig, the fire is getting dark. We were wondering if you could go get us some more firewood?"

Ludwig sighed, a little peeved that his thinking had to be interrupted.

"Fine," he said. Larry smiled and darted back into the cave, while Ludwig started flying toward the nearest forest.

_I can't believe that stupid law has to be in place, _Ludwig thought. _I'm eighteen! The kingdom could have a new king tomorrow if I was allowed to rule. But no, we have to wait eleven more years in order for Junior to come of age. It doesn't make sense on any level._

Ludwig spotted a forest and flew down into it. He telekinetically broke branches off of the trees. As he was doing that, he realized something. This forest looked familiar.

_Could this be the forest? _he thought. _The one near Frostwall?_

Ludwig immediately began searching around, using his blue flames to light the way. If what he was thinking was correct, and this was the forest near Frostwall, then there would be a specific marking on a tree that would indicate so. Ludwig searched the trees until he found said marking. Scratched into the tree's bark were the words "L.K. was here."

"It's still here," Ludwig said as he stroked his initials. "I can't believe it's still here."

Suddenly, a flood of painful memories came over the special; Frostwall and what happened to it. Ludwig felt shame entrap him as he recalled the people he had met in Frostwall, the immaturity that he had displayed toward them. The immaturity that ruined everything.

Then, as if something clicked in Ludwig's mind, he gasped.

_I'm displaying that same immaturity now._

Ludwig almost recoiled. How could he be so foolish? What happened to Frostwall happened because Ludwig wanted something that had been put out of his reach. Now he was doing the exact same thing, only with Junior.

Ludwig put his hand on the jasper that served as the button for his cloak. That's when he knew that he had to go back to the cave. He had to apologize to Iggy. The seven of them had to go get Junior.

…

Junior jumped up and down when he saw Kamella coming through the door.

"Kamella! Did you find your wand?"

Kamella shook her head.

"I'm afraid not," she said. Suddenly, she gasped. She went over to the side of the room, bent down, and picked up a wand on the floor. It had a purple star bit as a gemstone.

"My wand!" Kamella exclaimed. She turned to Junior. "Where did you find this?"

"Oh, I think the Koopalings left it behind," Junior said.

Kamella stared at Junior, and he immediately regretted saying that.

"What did you say?"

Junior gulped.

"I..I said the Koopalings must have left it behind."

Kamella stared at Junior with anger and hurt in her eyes.

"We need to leave," she said.

"But I don't want to leave!"

"I'm not asking, I'm telling."

"But Kamella…"

Kamella then raised her wand and pointed it at Junior. She chanted an incantation and the young prince was instantly knocked out.

**Author's Note: I just want to remind you all that there is a poll on my profile. Right now, Power Surge is in the lead. If you guys want to take the poll, I would really appreciate it.**


	15. Magic

**Author's Note: Once again, I would like to remind you all of the poll on my profile. As I mentioned before, Power Surge is in the lead, followed closely by Through Her Eyes. The poll closes when this story is finished, so I would love it if you who haven't taken it would do so.**

Chapter 15 Magic

"Guys?"

The Koopalings glanced at Ludwig in the entrance to the cave. They were disappointed to see that he wasn't accompanied by the kindling that Larry had requested.

"Where's the firewood? We're freezing our tails off here," said Larry.

"The firewood won't be necessary," Ludwig responded. He sighed. "Because we are going to go get Junior."

The Koopalings bounced up.

"What made you change your mind?" asked Iggy.

This statement was followed by a brief pause as Ludwig considered how to put his answer. His siblings could see his shame like it was the material used to make his cloak.

"I realized…" Ludwig began, "that I was being foolish. And stupid. And immature." Ludwig bit his lip in regret. "And you're right Iggy. Junior is the rightful heir to the throne. The kingdom needs him, in a way that makes him more than just a pawn."

Iggy smiled. Ludwig glanced at Morton and saw a glimmer of approval in his eyes.

"I'm glad my argument was able to have an impact on you," Iggy said.

Ludwig was about to say something, but stopped himself.

_It wasn't your argument that changed my mind._

Iggy turned to the rest of the Koopalings.

"Please proceed toward the exit everyone," he said formally. "We have a brother to fetch."

…

When the Koopalings arrived at the hut, they were hit by a nasty shock. They saw Kamella with Bowser Jr levitating behind her.

"Who's that?" asked Lemmy.

"Yeah, and since when can Junior float?" asked Roy.

"She's causing him to float via her magical abilities," said Iggy. He squinted and could see that Junior was knocked out. "And it looks like she has rendered him unconscious as well!"

Lemmy started giggling.

"Hey," he said, "I guess you could say he is 'out cold!'"

The other Koopalings gave Lemmy death stares.

"Sorry," Lemmy said. "Bad time."

"When it comes to puns, is there ever a good time?" asked Ludwig.

"Alright, knock it off," said Iggy. "Now is not the time for arguing."

"He's right," said Wendy. "We need to rescue Junior."

The Koopalings went into view of Kamella. When she saw them, she stopped and sneered.

"Back so soon?" she asked. "I suppose that you are here for the young prince."

"Your inference is factual," replied Iggy. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Kamella sat Junior's body down on the ground and started waving her wand at the Koopalings.

"Blastem marky!" she chanted. As soon as she was done speaking, an arcane blast shot out of her wand. The Koopalings managed to dodge.

"Well," said Iggy. "I can't say that I expected you to take the easy way."

Roy, always ready and itching for a fight, ran toward Kamella. Kamella started chanting again.

"Paralysis maku immobile!"

As soon as she was done chanting, Roy stopped dead in his tracks. It was as if he was a character on television and somebody had hit the pause button on the remote.

"Hey! I can't move!" Roy shouted.

Wendy threw her rings at Kamella. One hit her in the stomach and sent her reeling over. However, this injury only made her madder. She glared at Wendy and chanted another incantation. This caused Wendy to start doing the tap dance. Kamella laughed at her.

"How delightfully embarrassing for you," said Kamella. "I can't believe I didn't use this spell before."

Morton went up to Iggy and Ludwig.

"We need to get her wand," he said. The other two nodded.

"I agree," said Iggy. Then he got an idea. "I think I can recall a spell that will allow us to banish her from this world."

"Yeah, I think I remember that too," said Ludwig. He smiled. "Alright guys, leave the wand fetching to me."

Ludwig flew over to Kamella, his hands engulfed in flame. Kamella snickered.

"As a resident of World 3, I use fire everyday in my day to day life," she said. "What makes you think I will be scared of you?"

Ludwig grinned.

"Oh this? This is just for decoration," he said. "I have a different plan."

With that, Kamella's wand began to glow with a blue light. Kamella could feel it being pulled to Ludwig like a magnet. She scowled.

"I don't think so."

Kamella, with a good grip on the wand, waved it. The blast from the wand knocked Ludwig back. He growled as he got up and tried to pull the wand toward him telekinetically again. However, Kamella's grip was too strong.

"Give up everyone!" Kamella said with a cackle. "The young prince is happier with me!"

All of a sudden, Morton rushed forward and knocked Kamella to the ground. This caused the wand to fly out of her hands and into Ludwig's. He smiled.

"Beautiful," he said. He stared at Kamella, who looked absolutely horrified. "Now, where should I send you? Oh, I know! How about the Space Junk Galaxy?"

"No. Please, no!" Kamella screamed. However, Ludwig was already in the middle of saying the incantation.

"Teleportus Space Junk Galaxy!" he said. He pointed the wand at Kamella, and there was a blinding flash. When the light cleared, the witch was gone. Ludwig waved the wand again, and the spells on Roy and Wendy wore off. Wendy sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness," she said. "That was starting to get exhausting."

Iggy then went over to Junior, still unconscious on the ground.

"I think it is time we take him home," he said.


	16. True Reunion

Chapter 16 True Reunion

Bowser sat beside Junior's bed, stroking his son's head. His face gave away all of his thoughts, his concerns. Would Junior wake up? What would he say when he did wake up? Would he still be angry?

"I think it's been about a day now," Wendy said.

"Actually to be more precise, it has been twenty five hours, forty eight minutes," said Iggy. Larry laughed.

"Of course you would keep track of that," he said. Iggy shook his head, rolled his eyes, and gave a little smile. Bowser sighed and turned to the Koopalings.

"I know I've said it before," he said, "but I just want to thank all of you for bringing Junior back."

"Ehh, it wasn't that hard," Roy said.

"Roy, Bowser is trying to have a moment with us," said Wendy. "Don't ruin it."

Bowser chuckled.

"It's okay," he said. "I don't say this very often, but you all are amazing koopas. No matter what you choose to do when you are old enough to leave, you'll be amazing at it."

If the Koopalings were warm blooded, they would have blushed. Morton, however, cast a glance at Ludwig. Ludwig looked at his younger brother with a look that said "please don't tell him."

Suddenly, Junior began to stir. His eyes began to flutter and he glanced at Bowser.

"Dad?" he asked. Bowser beamed.

"Junior!" he cried with delight. He wrapped his arms around his son. "Oh I missed you. You are in so much trouble, but I missed you."

Junior smiled warmly as he hugged Bowser back. Then he cast a glance at the Koopalings.

"You guys saved me," he said.

Larry stepped forward, a grin on his face.

"Of course we did squirt," he said. "We're your family."

"Family…"

Suddenly, Junior's eyes started to well with salty tears.

"I...I'm sorry," he said. "For...for...you know."

Larry approached Junior's bed.

"Buddy, it's okay," he said quietly. "We know that you were upset about your birth story. Honestly, it must suck for a kid to find out something like that about yourself."

Junior nodded. Larry came forward and gave him a hug, and Lemmy, Wendy, Iggy, and Roy joined in. Ludwig, however, left the room, and Morton followed. It wasn't until they were a good ways down the hallway that Morton decided to speak up.

"You did the right thing."

Ludwig sighed.

"You're right," he said. He chuckled. "Thank you for knocking some sense into me."

Morton just stared at Ludwig, making him feel uncomfortable.

"What?" Ludwig asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure if it was my words that brought you around," Morton said. "Be honest with me; what really made you realize that we needed to get Junior?"

Ludwig hesitated.

"I...I don't want to talk about it."

Morton raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" he asked.

Ludwig thought about this. He could trust Morton with secrets. But could he trust him with the secret about what happened to Frostwall?

"I..I'll tell you later," Ludwig finally said.

Morton smiled.

"That's good enough for me," he said. Then he walked away.

**Author's Note: Yes! It's finally finished! Thank you so much to all of you who have read, reviewed, and taken my poll. Now, onto the shoutouts. This list is longer than usual, so brace yourself. Thanks so much to TheGhostlyRobot and FierySpyro for favoriting, PinkRose0106 for following, and 7KingBowser7, digimonhero, and shadowpheonix3214 for favoriting and following. Once again, thank you to all of you, and see you next time for Super Koopalings Episode 5: Power Surge!**


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